Leather splitting machine



June 12, 1934. s, DOBYNE 1,962,486

LEATHER SPLITTING MACHINE Fild Oct. 24, 1930 Patented June 12, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LEATHER SPLITTIN G MACHINE Application October 24, 1930, Serial No. 490,874

2 Claims. (01. 69-13) This invention relates generally to leather splitting machines, and more particularly to a driving mechanism therefor.

The object of this invention, generally stated,

is to provide a leather splitting machine in which an adjustment of the operating roll is possible.

A more specific object of this invention is to provide a leather splitting machine, in which the operating roll thereof may be adjusted relative to the driving mechanism therefor.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device in which a driven gear may be adjusted relative to a driving gear.

Further objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art when the following description is read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a front view of the leather splitting machine of this invention, shown partly in section to reveal the operating mechanism thereof;

Figure 2 is an end view of the operating gears for the leather splitting machine of this invention; the housing being broken away to reveal the gears; and

Figure 3 is a detail view in end elevation showing operating rolls of the machine of this invention.

In accordance with this invention, a leather splitting machine is provided with adjustable rolls such as specifically described in the copending application Serial No. 473,572, filed August 7, 1930. The driving mechanism for a machine of this invention differs from that of the copending application in that flexible connections between the driving gear and the driven gear are omitted. In accordance with this invention, a driving pinion is disposed in a substantially horizontal plane which intersects the shaft of an adjustable roll; and the roll may be moved vertically for a substantial distance by very slight variation of the interaxial distance between the roll and the driving pinion.

Referring now to the drawing, the leather splitting machine comprises a framework, which includes a pair of upright members 12. The upright guide members 12 are provided with a slotted guideway for the reception of bearing boxes 15 and 16, which carry, respectively, the

shafts of the feeding rolls 5 and 6. Between the bearing boxes 15 and 16 at each end of the rolls 5 and 6 is interposed a cushioning spring 17 which exerts a force tending to spread the rolls apart. Upon one end of the shaft of the roll 6 is mounted a gear 7 which is rigidly secured there to for rotation therewith. The rolls 5 and 6 are adjustable vertically within the guideways of the upright members 12, and for a more detailed description of the mechanism for accomplishing such adjustment, reference may be had to the copending application above referred to. A splitting knife 10 is supported by the frame, so that the cutting edge thereof is disposed adjacent the space between the rolls 5 and 6.

Cooperating gears 3 and 4 are provided upon the ends of the shafts which respectively carry the feed rolls 5 and 6, so that when the feed roll 6 is rotated the feed roll 5 will be likewise rotated at a peripheral speed equal to the peripheral speed of the roll 6 so that there will be no slippage between the leather engaging surfaces of the respective rolls.

Upon the upright member 1, a bracket 8 which is in the nature of a housing, is rigidly secured through bolts 9. The bracket or housing 8 is provided with a bearing boss 11 at one side thereof and so disposed that a line passing through the center of the boss will lie in a horizontal plane, which also contains the axis of the roll 6 and the gear 7. It is thus apparent that the boss 11 and the shaft of the roll 6 are disposed in a plane which is substantially at right angles to the direction of adjustment of the roll 6 relative to the framework.

A shaft 12 is journaled Within the boss 11 and carries at its inner end a pinion 13 for engagement with the gear 7. At the outer end of the shaft 12 may be provided any suitable operating device, such as, for instance, a crank 14.

Since in machines of this character, it is not necessary that perfect engagement be made between the operating pinion 13 and the gear 7, the operation of the machine will not be impaired by the variation of the interaxial dis- 95 tances between the pinion and the gear. Thus, when the roll 6 is moved vertically within the guideways, the axis of the gear 7 is displaced vertically relative to the axis of the pinion l3, and the straight line distance between the re- 100 spective centers of the gear 7 and the pinion 13 is slightly increased, but the increase in this distance is not sufficient to prevent the operation of the machine at the relatively slow speed at which it is intended to operate. In machines 105 of this character, limited vertical movement of the lower roll 6 is required, and in most cases the movement of this roll will not be more than a quarter of an inch above and below its normal position in which the axis thereof 110 lies in the same horizontal plane as the axis of the pinion 13, and it is apparent that a vertical movement of such slight extent will cause an increase in the interaxial distance of the gear '7 and the pinion 13 which will be of negligible extent. Thus, by disposing the operatingpinion in the position shown inthe drawing, in: which it lies in a horizontal plane also occupied by the shaft of the adjustable roll 6 when in normal position, it is possible to per mit vertical movement of the roll 6 for the desired extent without the use of variable connections between different shafts.

Since it is apparent that many modifications Will present themselves to those skilled in the art which will not depart from the spirit of this invention or the scope of the appended claims; it is to be distinctly understood that the embodiment here shown and described is merely. illustrative and shall not be considered in a limiting sense.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is:

l. A leather splitting machine comprising, a frame having a guide, a splitting knife on said frame, a pair of feed rolls one of which is movable in said guide, a gear on said movable roll, a driving pinion meshing with said gear, an axis passing through said gears being at right angles toan axis passing through said rolls, a housing for said gear and said pinion and removably fixed to said guide and a driving element for said pinion journaled in said housing, whereby said gear is movable with said movable roll while remaining in mesh with said pinion.

2'. A leather splitting machine comprising, a frame having, a guide, a splitting knife on said frame, a pair of feed rolls one of which is movablein said guide, a gear on said movable roll, a driving pinion meshing with said gear, an axis passing through said. gears being at right angles to an axis. passing through said rolls, a housing for said gear and said pinion and removably fixed; to said guide, a bearing on said housing, a shaft in said bearing and to the inner end of which said pinion is fixed, and ahandle on the outer end of said shaft, whereby said gear is movable with said movable roll while remaining in mesh with said pinion.

STEVENSON A. DOBYNE. 

